Post by account_disabled on Feb 18, 2024 4:01:29 GMT -5
The Federal Court of Criminal Cassation confirmed the conviction of the former Secretary of Transportation of Néstor Kirchner's government, Ricardo Jaime, for collecting bribes in the ultimately failed "bullet train" project. Chamber II of Federal Cassation, made up of Gustavo Hornos, Guillermo Yacobucci and Ángela Ledesma, rejected Jaime's claims, and with it the sentence that sentenced former official K to two and a half years of suspended prison and perpetual special disqualification from holding office. public authorities, a fine of 90,000 pesos and costs, for being the author of the crime of passive bribery.
In the case it was shown that Jaime accepted the Europe Mobile Number List promise of paying one million dollars for the Alstom company, to favor that French company in the TAVE (high-speed train) tender. Alstom led the Veloxia business consortium which participated as a bidder in the National and International Public Tender process with financing for the contracting of the comprehensive work of electrification, civil works, road infrastructure, signaling and communications and provision of rolling stock for the railway service High Speed in the Buenos Aires corridor. Aires–Rosario–Córdoba, known as the TAVE tender.
Alstom's bribe offer was intended to have Jaime direct the administrative process in favor of the Veloxia consortium . The acceptance of the promise of payment was materialized through the signing of a consulting contract (“bribery contract”), signed between the company Controles y Auditías Especiales de Argentina SA (CAESA) and two subsidiaries of Alstom, on July 16, , for the supposed advice on the TAVE. The CAESA company was directed by Manuel Vázquez , who in turn was an “ad honorem” advisor to Jaime and a person who maintained a close relationship with the former national official, which included common property interests.